Stock-guard.



No. 789,048. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905. H. A. MIDDAUGH.

STOCK GUARD.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV.19, 190s.

Cl CI WITNESSES. IN VENTOH we. 47W fib race f yicldau' I By A TTOHNE YS UNITED STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

STOCK-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,048, dated May 2, 1905. Application filed November 19 1903. Serial No. 181,801.

To H/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HORACE ADELBERT MID DAUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stock-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in stock-guards, its object being to provide an absolute guard against the access of stock from the highway to the tracks of a railroad crossing the same, and one which shall be simple, cheap, and easily applied and removed.

To these ends my invention consists in certain particular features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of railway-track, Showing my invention as in use. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section.

In carrying out my invention my guard is composed of a suitable number (say twenty) of steel plates 1, placed at about an angle of twenty-two degrees thirty minutes or more from a horizontal on the ties 2, the edges overlapping the ties on each side a suitable distance, preferably four or more inches. The ties should be placed sufiiciently far apart to allow the hoof of the animal to slip down on solid ground, but not far enough to allow of a forward movement of the leg beyond a perpendicular, so as to catch the shin or the heel on the forward or back edges of the plates, respectively. The ties are to be preferably placed about twelve inches apart, properly tamped in place,and ballastleft out between the same, except about one inch to hold them in position. As the plates 1 will preferably project on each side of the tie about four inches, this will leave a space of about eight inches at the base, large enough for a large horsehoof, and will leave about four inches for the leg to move into a perpendicular position. Theplates 1 may be serrated or sharpened at 1 and 1 to out quickly and are fastened to the ties by screws or spikes. The first plates 3, preferably four in number, next the roadway are of suitable size and have a portion 3 bent downwardly and inwardly and secured to the tie on its top and sides by spikes. These plates are made in this manner to protect the remainder of the plates from loose brakebeams or hangers on cars. The last plate 4; does not project downward beyond the tie to which it is secured. The tops of the ties are chamfered at the desired angle, as at 2, to secure the plates, and a wedge-shaped block 5 is placed under the rear portion of the plates and upon the ties, thus compensating for the amount of material chamfered from the forward part of the tie and giving the plate the proper angle. By this means the tie will not be weakened. The plates are secured to the ties and blocks by spikes or screws. The plates are made preferably in four sections. two between the rails and one each at each side of the rails, and can be readily attached or detached by a section-hand.

Should an animal attempt to Walk on this guard, the first foot slides down into the space between the ties. Now as soon as the animal attempts to go forward the leg must be brought to a perpendicular position, and as soon as this is done the plates cut into the shin or the heel, causing the animal to desist. The foot can then readily be withdrawn backward. Both the front and rear edges of the plates are preferably sharpened or serrated. It will be noticed that the edge 1 of the plates attacks the animal at the crown of the heel, which is the most tender spot. The plates are preferably of the same size, rendering them interchangeable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cattle-guard comprising aseries of fiat plates secured to the top of a series of railroad-ties at an oblique angle, the entire upper surface of each plate lying in the same plane, the upper free end of each plate projecting beyond the rear side of the tie to which it is secured, and the lower end of each plate projecting beyond the front side of the tie, but not extending to the vertical line of the rear upper end of the slanting plate immediately preceding it, the front and rear edges of the plates being sharpened or serrated.

2. A cattle-guard comprising a series of plates secured to the upper chamfered surface of a series of ties at an angle, the forward and rear edges of the plates projecting beyond the front and rear faces of the ties, the initial plate of the series being bent downwardly and inwardly and secured to the initial ties of the series.

3. A cattle-guard comprising a series of railroad-ties placed a suitable distance apart,

a series of flat plates secured to the tops of said ties at an angle, the front and rear edges I5 of each plate projecting beyond the front and rear faces of each tie to such an extent as to leave suflicient clearance vertically between the adjacent front andvrear edges of each pair of plates as will permit the leg of an animal 2 to assume a vertical position after the foot has reached the ground between the pair of ties.

HORACE ADELBERT MIDDAUGH. Witnesses:

WALTER H. BEA-Ls, JAMES MAODUFF. 

